Kurdish People and Reality of the PKK

Here is a great article written by Nabi Yagcioglu in daily Taraf. I dont have to say that I dont agree with everything he says, but he does speak the truth. Here is the link to the original in Turkish, too.

Nowadays there are two confusing phenomena : Reality of the AK Party and that of the PKK. In order to clarify these confusions, one needs to look at the peoples [behind these movements]. When I look at from this perspective, I see enlightening awakening of the Islam-oriented populace prior to AK Party and rising libertarian awakening of the Kurdish people prior to the PKK.

Before the fruit, one needs to see the soil that gives life and taste to it.

All of us, from time to time, say “It was the oppressive atmosphere of September 12th[the military coup d’etat of 1980] that created PKK”. This judgement is only one facet of the reality. PKK is not solely a product of the September 12th.  PKK is an organization, one of the organizations that resilient Kurdish people created, a people that did not let itself to be  either assimilated or annihilated by the state of the Turkish Republic.

Yesterday[past] was different, but today when one thinks of the reality of the PKK, it should not be only weapons that come to  mind, prior to that, the support that it receives from its people should be acknowledged. There is sociology behind that support. In the southeast,at least one person  from every family (one should think of family in terms of relatives as well) is either in this war, or extra-judicially [by the deep and open state] killed, and at least one person has rebelled and went to the mountains [to join the guerillas]. It does not end there, countless villages and hamlets have been evacuated [forcefully by the Turkish Armed Forces], thousands of Kurds have been forced to immigrate to the west. They were forced into a destitute situation of  unemployment,lack of  education, and hunger. And there is a history, Dersim Massacre is not the only example[there are many more].

This is oppression[tyranny].

Rebelling against oppression is a right.

From “there is no Kurd” nonsense they have come to “Kurds are our brothers” purple prose. “We are brothers, we have been living together for ages, we have intermarried” discourse  is only one side of the reality, and from this perspective it is a miracle that peoples [Kurds and Turks together] have created; however when looked from a political point of view, this [merely] is a hypocrisy that hides [undermines] the oppression and inequality. There can exist no brotherhood where there is inequality. And expecting brotherhood from the one that is oppressed, downtrodden, sufferer is deceiving oneself if not naivite. If humanism is not understood correctly, it could turn into an ornamental shawl that is used to hinder inequality and injustice.

Contrary to the popular belief, it is not the ones who are oppressed that decide the form of rebellion, but rather the oppressors. The ones that try to annihilate the others with violence and weapons are reciprocated in the same manner. Sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.

What have you given[in order to have the face] to be asking for?

Here it is, Kurdish people is a people that against all these odds could not be brought down on its knees and assimilated [into Turkishness]. Even in the face of this 30 years old  bloody history, the Kurds are a resisting  people that have caught the national awakening momentum today. These people are still under pressure, but no longer are they downtrodden, or oppressed; they are a competent people that have gained self-confidence and succeeded in establishing their own local governances.  This is the rality we are facing, there is no use of contorting the facts. There is a past behind Kurdish people’s freedom struggle,  this struggle is a result of accumulation of  this people’s and Kurdish intellectuals’ struggle, but by pointing out to this fact, one should not ignore PKK’s role [in this]. When I think of the “Kurdish Movement”, I think of the active role of the PKK, but I also think of the waves of a united and rising  people’s movement that is composed of factions that think differently from the PKK as well, and a movement of those who were parts of the non-governmental organizations that have transformed into peace and democracy activists.

This point, especially nowadays, is a sensitive  point on which we need think on more attentively. My knowledge and observations tell me that those who are in the Kurdish Movement, and who criticize the mistakes  of the PKK, and think of alternative methods of struggling [other than the armed struggle], and even those who vote for the AK Party, all come together around protection  of the rights that the Kurdish people have gained. They are aware of the consequences that might arise if this rising wave breaks down. Because, the Kurds know this mechanism called state much better than  the Turks, and they know state’s carrot and stick, and divide and control strategies very well, and they dont want to fall into the trap. In my opinion, they are very right.

Kürt halk hareketinin yükselen dalgasını kırabilecek bir başka tehlike ise bizzat PKK’den gelebilir. Gelinen noktada PKK’nin şiddet eylemlerini sürdürmesi veya kontrol dışı eylemlerle şiddet olaylarının devamı bu bileşik hareketi bölebilir. Batman’da barış ve demokrasinin sevilen dört aktivistinin mayın patlaması sonucu can yakan ölümleri bu tehlikeyi gösteren çok ciddi bir uyarıydı. Bu halk onlarca yıl şiddet altında yaşamaktan bıktı ve yoruldu artık. Barışı bu nedenle en çok onlar istiyor. Ama eşit haklılık temelinde.
Özetle; hem iç hem dış konjonktür, silahlı eylemi iki taraf için de çıkmaz yol yapmıştır. Barış söylemlerinden “barışı inşa etme” evresine geçilmek zorunda. Barışın inşası sürecine giremez isek ne olur? Geçici ateşkes, kalıcı hale gelemez ve barışın inşası sürecinin kapısını açamazsa sonrasını düşünmek bile istemiyorum.

Another dangerous move that can break down this rising wave of  Kurdish people’s movement could come from the PKK itself. At this point, if  PKK continues its acts of violence or continuation of these violent acts out of its control, it  could divide this united movement. The deaths of the  four beloved activists of peace and democracy in Batman caused by the mine explosion is a very serious warning sign  showing the dangers [of such a move]. These people are sick and tired of living under this cycle of violence for decades. That is the reason why they are the ones who want peace the most. But based on the principle of  equality. Shortly; both domestic and international conjuncture have made it very difficult for both sides to use weapons. Peace discourse has to evolve into “constructing peace” phase. What would happen if we dont move on to constructing peace process,? If the temporary ceasefire[declared by the PKK, unilaterally] does not turn  into a permanent ceasefire and cannot open the door the constructing peace process, I dont even want to think about what could happen.

Let me tell you by reminding you the words of deceased Turgut Ozal [Turkey’s president during 1993, in which  PKK has declared its first unilateral  ceasefire] that was cited by Cengiz Candar: If this ceasefire breaks down, the violence would return multi-folds and the country would turn into a blood bath.

PS: The writings in italic in brackets are my additions to clarify the meaning.